Where the Buckeyes can improve in the second week of the season Ohio State Football
Ohio State running backs Quinshon Judkins And TreVeyon Henderson scored 13 and 8 runs, respectively, in the 52-6 win over Akron in the season opener.
Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly wants to increase both totals.
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“43 and 40 would be better,” Kelly said when asked about the Judkins-Henderson split on Tuesday, “but I don’t think we’ll get that many snaps in the game.”
“(Running backs coach) Carlos (Locklyn) does a great job of keeping the guys fresh and knowing who’s in and who’s out. There’s been no set plan, but hopefully we run the ball a little more and then the numbers go up for both guys.”
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Although Judkins ran five more runs than Henderson, Judkins finished with just 55 rushing yards while Henderson ran 65. So while Henderson averaged 8.1 yards per run with three runs of 10+ yards, Judkins averaged 4.2 yards per run with two runs of 10+ yards, not to mention Judkins’ goal-line touchdown.
It’s worth noting that Judkins’ breakaway percentage (27.5%) and yards after contact per attempt (3.21) weren’t particularly high last season, according to Pro Football Focus, but it’s possible the sheer volume of runs (271) he ran with the Rebels contributed to that.
“I think Q has done a really good job in terms of what we’ve designed,” Kelly said. “Obviously he doesn’t block for himself, so sometimes when something breaks down before he gets a chance to read something, he has to adjust and work that out.”
“But I think it’s important to find the chemistry, get a feel for it – is our scheme a little different than what he ran at his other school? You know, there’s some nuance there, being behind the quarterback and not staggered to the quarterback, how much stack did they run at his other school? So it’s just about getting comfortable with that, and I think that’s the process that’s going to continue here as we start the season.”
Judkins surpassed 1,000 yards in both of his seasons at Ole Miss. He was twice selected to the All-SEC first team. Judkins, a linebacker at Ole Miss, had four first downs and his touchdown run in his debut for Ohio State.
Kelly said Tuesday that he doesn’t commentate on the game any differently when Henderson plays against Judkins and vice versa.
“I think those two guys can both run inside the tackles,” said Kelly, who took over play calling duties from head coach Ryan Day at Ohio State in the offseason. “They’re both tough, tenacious, physical runners, but they both have the speed and athletic ability to get to the perimeter. So they both had perimeter sweep runs scheduled and they ran them. They both ran inside the tackles and inside the zone and countered.
“The unique thing about these two guys is that sometimes you have two different types of defenders. I think you can say that both guys have a similar game plan. I think James Voelker fits in the same category. So when James got there, I thought he was really productive in the few appearances he had. We think a complete freshman who comes here and plays like James has a really bright future here, but that doesn’t change once he’s there.”
Peoples carried the ball six times for 30 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State finished the game with 170 rushing yards, but Kelly has more plans for his running game.
That starts with an even bigger workload for the Buckeyes’ two-headed monster, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.
